SEFFERN, WILLIAM HENRY JOHN (1829-1900) was born in England, brought up to printing, and came to Australia in 1851. He was on several Sydney papers (including the Sydney Illustrated News) and in 1856 came to Auckland. After some years in journalism on the Southern Cross and the New Zealander, he took the latter paper over from Williamson and Wilson. Dr Kidd and James Heron were his partners for a while and later, with C. F. Mitchell, he brought out the New Zealander as the first morning paper published in New Zealand at a penny. In 1866 they started the Penny Journal, and in 1867 the Auckland Budget. Early the following year he accepted the position of editor and manager of the Taranaki Herald, which he occupied till 1896, when he retired from active journalism. In 1869 it became a bi-weekly and in 1877 a daily. Besides acting as correspondent for papers, Seffern wrote a good deal on New Zealand history, including The Early Settlement of New Zealand (1888), History of Taranaki (1890), The History of a Colonial Newspaper, and The Chronicles of the Garden of New Zealand (1895), and The Maori Rebellion during the Sixties. He was a keen supporter of amateur theatricals and of the Taranaki Agricultural Society, and organised many ploughing matches. Seffern died on 26 Oct 1900.

Cycl. NZ., vi (p); Seffern, op. cit.; Taranaki Herald, 26 Oct 1900.

Reference: Volume 2, page 144

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